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Deadlines near for sending troops holiday packages

Nov-15-2004 » Filed Under: Mail & Care Packages

[Link to Full Article]
By Steven Field

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Nov. 15, 2004) -- ’Tis the season to be giving, but people sending holiday cards and packages to Soldiers serving overseas should send them early and follow the rules for mail distribution, said a military postal official.

“To ensure delivery…to military [Army Post Office/Fleet Post Office] addresses overseas and to international addresses, we suggest mail be sent by the recommended dates provided by the U.S. Postal service,” said Mark DeDomenic, the assistant deputy director and chief of operations for the Military Postal Service Agency.

Postal workers throughout the world process an incredible amount of mail. The Fort Lewis-based Task Force Olympia in Iraq alone receives 11,000 pounds of mail and collects 6,000 pounds of mail to send to the U.S., said Spc. Daniel Frost, a mail clerk from the 747th Postal Company. And these numbers don’t take into account increased mail traffic during the holiday season.

Mail-by dates vary by the delivery location and method of delivery, ranging from Dec. 6 to 20 for first class mail and Dec. 11 to 17 for priority mail. Mail shipped now by parcel post to military addresses overseas will not reach their destinations by Christmas. The last postal service deadline to mail parcel post overseas was Nov. 13.

To ensure timely delivery, senders should include the full name of the Soldier they are sending mail to (with or without rank designation), the unit address, the APO address, the nine-digit zip code and a return address, postal officials advise.

Also, the U.S. Postal Service is offering free packing materials to spouses and family members of Soldiers serving overseas.

USPS will send free boxes, packing materials, tape and mailing labels for care packages to be sent to Soldiers in Iraq. To take advantage of this service, call 1-800-610-8734 and press one for English or two for Spanish, then press three to reach an operator.

When sending packages, postal officials advise that the following should be considered to ensure delivery to their intended recipients:

* The ban on packages sent to “Any Service member” is still in effect, according to Department of Defense officials. To protect the safety of troops in combat areas, their addresses should not be published.

* Only relatives and friends of Soldiers in the Central Command theater that received an address personally, should send packages. Americans who do not have loved ones overseas can find other ways to support American Soldiers at www.defendamerica.mil by clicking on the “Support Our Troops” link on the left side of the page.

* Packages mailed in boxes that have markings related to any type of hazardous material, including bleach, alcohol and cleaning fluids, will be handled as non-mailable matter, according to the U.S. Postal Service.

* Soldiers serving in the Central Command area of operation (including Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa) cannot receive:

* pork and pork by-products;

* alcoholic beverages;

* any matter depicting nude or semi-nude persons;

* obscene articles; pornographic materials; or unauthorized items.

Personal religious items may be delivered, but religious materials contrary to the Islamic faith are not permitted in bulk quantities.

Receiving packages, especially during the holidays, is great for Soldier morale, said Staff Sgt. Tony Edwards, Civil Affairs non-commissioned officer in charge for Task Force Olympia in northern Iraq.

“Getting mail from friends and loved ones at home is something that a Soldier can look forward to,” said Edwards. “Things in Iraq are constantly changing and so many of the things around us are unfamiliar, getting a letter from someone at home is comforting because it’s from someone who is familiar to you.”

Follow the link above to get detailed information regarding specific APO AE zip codes.


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